Making Your Characters Realistic

I've decided to base what my characters look like on one or more of my friends, and what they act like on another. That sometimes doesn't work, so I decide to pour some of myself into that mixture. Or, I just create a character from scratch. I think most of my characters have a little bit of what makes up me in them. Eve from Plastic Stars, for instance, has a bit of the lonliness and depression I've felt after losing a loved one just this year. Eve is different from all of my other characters. She has feelings and thoughts. She's really advanced from other works I've created.

This probably didn't help, but that's something I do.

I need help with writing dialogue. I'm pretty good with description, but I absolutely suck when dealing with conversation :grr:

This thread is a really good place to go to for reference (:

When writing dialogue, think about how people actually talk, don't write dialogue in normal sentences.

wyliecoyotesfriend:

I need help with writing dialogue. I'm pretty good with description, but I absolutely suck when dealing with conversation :grr:

I have conversations with and as my characters. Both out loud and in my head.

druscilla cheap sex.:

wyliecoyotesfriend:

I need help with writing dialogue. I'm pretty good with description, but I absolutely suck when dealing with conversation :grr:

I have conversations with and as my characters. Both out loud and in my head.

Oh! I do that too!

Thanks all for the advice :arms:

I say keep it personal. Have a character talk the way you would or the way people around you would. Try to stay true to the era and educated.Write how everyone in the world acts. You have to put yourself into a character when you are writing them.

I like to create background sheets for all my characters to pinpoint their personality traits. It's like having a reference sheet for a person.

I too despise writing conversations but it makes it so much easier if you talk out loud so it all flows and sounds right.

Be true to yourself is a great tip. It's your writing style so try and keep it the way you feel comfortable writing it but also keep your audience in mind.

I'm going to post a section of a fic I';m writing. Just a background, Elliott Preston is a 29 year old male. And the other man, Jensen is probably around the same age, perhaps a little younger. Does the dialogue sound true to age? and the fact that they're men? I need to add that Elliott tends to think a lot when he talks so he's not really your typical male in that he doesn't converse much. Just is the dialogue realistic enough? Thanks

Quote

“Y’always come here?”
Elliott looked at him. “What?”
“Y’always come here, Elliott?”
The bounty hunter swept his eyes around the shop, and then nodded.
“Ever since I was a boy,” a wistful smile played across his face. “Phil and I...” He paused at the mention of his brother. He didn’t usually speak of him to Jensen. He liked to keep his private and work lives separate.
“How is ya famous brother?” Jensen perked up. “Still screamin’?”
Elliot rolled his eyes, “Let’s just say that he’s still much better than the crap that’s coming out these days.”
Jensen laughed, “Oh, c’mon, Elliott. I happen to quite like Lady GaGa.”
“Huh? Who’s that?” Elliott gave the other man a questioning look.
“What? Ya haven’t heard of her?”
Elliott shook his head, “I listen to Beethoven and Mozart, Jensen. That should tell you something.”
“Beethoven? Isn’t he that St Bernard?” Jensen scrunched up his face in confusion.
The bounty hunter barked out a rough laugh.
“Shit, you really are dumb aren’t you? Beethoven was a composer.”
The crook stiffened and glared at Elliott, eyes flashing. “I’m not dumb, Elliott. Anyhow. You can’t talk; you don’t know who Lady GaGa is.”
“And, I don’t particularly think I’m missing anything if I don’t,” Elliott retorted. “She doesn’t sound very intelligent.”
“Hell, she’s an entertainer, she doesn’t hafta be smart.” Jensen was getting defensive. The bounty hunter just gave him a scathing look. Jensen folded his arms and huffed at him. “She writes good.”
“Oh, yeah? I bet she doesn’t even write her own lyrics. That’s the problem with so many solo artists these days, they never write their own songs.” Elliott smirked, “I bet she got some dupe to write her songs.”

May I also note that characters who have one personality can switch to another in different circumstances?

For instance, in "Manipulation", Leana Silver is a crazy, out-going girl but when arriving home in Chapter 5, she was a lot more distant toward her boyfriend. She exclaimed, surprising the two of them and not in a good way. She was a lot more secretive.

Characters change based on certain events.

I (not sure about you all) can't see a story realistically if the following happens:

Leana's smile lasted until the door to her house. Jimmy frowned, nervously waiting, ready to tell her that the mother she knew and loved just passed away. When he broke the news, she just shrugged, and moved on like life never stopped.

OK, this wasn't necessarily the best description but when your character is happy-go-lucky, then something drastic happens and your character moves on, I can't find that realistic. Putting on a fake smile, faking normalcy, that I can see. But moving on like the news was never broken, is like a reading turn-off for me.

I just hope my characters are real, if I'm noting that other's shouldn't be this way. (laughs)

:)

If you're writing a story with multiple characters, don't make them all the same. Don't make them all emo boys and scene girls who all have crap parents yet shop and go to parties constantly.

In my latest story, Eschaton, there are five main characters, all of them different.

Make a character the definition of normal.
Make a character fearless - but maybe with one innocent, naive fear such as a fear of the dark?
Make a character secluded and never opening up.
Make a character an outrageous hippy from the 1960s.

Pretend to have conversations and build their personalities as you write.

Another trick is not to rush your writing.
Alot of times it makes them seem squashed, and the words dont fit well.
So write a few paragraphs, go back, and skim over it to make sure you like it.

edit.

If I'm gonna' make a character that's any sort of defined stereotype, I always make them fit the setereotype minus a few things. Like, a scene girl with bad acne and a bit of a weight problem or the punk girl who can only afford to do the hair or the pretty popular girl who happens to like rock music and has a bit of an annoying accent. Or something.

I also tend to make full family trees for my characters. Full family trees. Four generations minimum.

Boring characters are the worst. I try to put detail and to 'paint a picture' with my words , I have some trouble with writing boy characters, but I'm slowly getting better.

Sometimes instead of being overly concerned about the gender of my character I just write them however they come to me and trust my instincts. People are people after all; there may be some occasional gender differences, but in the end we are typically more potentially similar than different. Sometimes worrying too much about "male perspective" versus "female perspective" makes me so nervous I can't effectively develop or write with a character.

I tend to avoid dialouge, but when I do I ease off my mind and just write it how I think it inside my house... Just cutting down the "umm" and "ahhs" by a hell if a lot.

^ In dialogue, all my characters always say a lot of um's.
I think it makes them sound more realistic. Most people don't recite words like they've been rehearsing them, they need little breathers.

^ Exactly. Leaving the little stutters, "ums"/ equivalent utterances, fumbles, pauses, and such is what makes dialogue more realistic than anything.
By the way, I happen to love dialogue.

^ Exactly! I use "I guess"'s, "really"'s and "…" a ton, too. Especially when it's a really deep conversation. I thrive off writing awkwardness.

That's another thing for realistic characters, too. In all those Twilight conversations, Edward's comnpletly putting his balls on the line professing love the way he does (lots of flowery, she-obviously-had-to-use-a-thesaurus words and too-long, cheesy explanations). You'd think he'd stutter or something, but noooo. I don't care that he was 100 years old or whatever. He was still a virgin.

^Well, some people are more awkward than others, but I totally agree with you. Real speech is rarely, if ever, perfect or anything close to it. I happen to thrive on that fact. With my dialogue, I use that imperfection to craft my own perfection. Pauses and fumbles are often the best way to emphasize what is being said, especially when it's a sensitive or important subject for the characters. [I love writing a character when they are talking about something like that and they are really nervous and usually have trouble getting straight to the point of what they are trying to say. It's oddly poignant and beautiful for me.]